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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. snap — to click
  3. face — to confront
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. bore — to tire
  6. face — part of the head
  7. object — to protest
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. hand — help
  11. object — a thing
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. spring — a coil
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bore — to drill
  21. object — an aim
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. spring — the season
  24. face — to point toward

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com